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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26245213">A Familiar Face</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missintroverted/pseuds/Missintroverted'>Missintroverted</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Portal Pines AU [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gravity Falls</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adult Mabel Pines, Alternate Universe - Relativity Falls, Badass Ford Pines, Badass Mabel Pines, Ford Pines' Portal Adventures, Mabel Pines Goes Through The Portal, Minor Original Character(s), Minor Violence, POV Ford Pines, Platonic Female/Male Relationships</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:08:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,350</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26245213</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missintroverted/pseuds/Missintroverted</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ford Pines finds an ally in a woman who looks a little too much like someone he'd rather not remember.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Portal Pines AU [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1906543</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Familiar Face</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a series in a little AU called the Portal Pines AU, where a version of the Pines from different dimensions, each who had fallen into the portal in their own world, eventually meet each other and team up to get back to their respective homes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Ford Pines scrambled through the busy streets of the marketplace, he found himself wondering how in the multiverse Bill managed to hire so many bounty hunters at the rate that he did. Currently, he had a humanoid, multi-armed, incredibly strong pursuer hot on his trail, effortlessly knocking civilians and objects out of her way. Yesterday, it had been a set of siblings from a race of lizard creatures that breathed fire and were capable of climbing walls. Assuming he would survive this encounter, he imagined tomorrow’s hunters would be equally, if not more, challenging to deal with. (He could still feel the raw skin on his shoulder rub against his bandages as he ran, a souvenir from the aforementioned lizardfolk).</p><p>Usually, in these circumstances, Ford would activate his interdimensional translator and escape, but it took time he currently did not have. That, and he still had business in this dimension, materials he needed to collect some material for the Quantum Destabilizer that he wasn’t sure he could find elsewhere. There would be no telling where he would end up next, and that was a risk he couldn’t afford taking right now. </p><p>In a last-ditch attempt, Ford slid into the nearest alleyway, ducking in between some large baskets that smelled vaguely of a mix of oranges and limes (a hybrid of Earth citruses, perhaps?) and stayed, hunched over in the shadows.</p><p>A moment later, he felt the cold press of a blaster on the back of his neck. He lifted his hands up, dropping his own gun. It clattered on the concrete.</p><p>“Finally got you. I gotta hand it to you, Stanford Pines. You are very difficult to catch.” He didn’t have to see the bounty hunter behind him to know that she was smirking at him.</p><p>“Whatever Bill offered you,” he said, “I assure you, it will not be worth making a deal with him.”</p><p>She shoved him to his knees, then pushed him on his stomach with her boot. Three of her four arms held him down, shoving his cheek against the grimy floor. “Maybe not for you, human.”</p><p>He opened his mouth to reply, to give himself more time to try and find a way out, when he saw a small, circular object bounce towards him and landed inches away from his face. Upon closer inspection, it was a bright pink orb with a red blinking light.</p><p>A bomb.</p><p><em>Fuck</em>.</p><p>The bounty hunter thought the same, because she yelped, releasing Ford and jumping back just as it went off. To his surprise, he had not blown to bits. He was, however, engulfed in a glittery pink puff of smoke. Tiny bits of glitter coating his throat.  He coughed out the glimmering purple particles.</p><p>
  <em>What in the multiverse?</em>
</p><p>The bounty hunter screamed behind him. She began cursing in her native tongue, a language he, unfortunately, hadn’t studied (yet) so he couldn’t make out what she was saying, aside from the fact that she was very upset. He ducked his head when he heard her firing off her weapon.</p><p>He heard another pair of boots hit the ground followed by an enthusiastic <em>whoop!,</em> the bounty hunter grunt, a body smacking against a nearby dumpster, then silence.</p><p>A hand pulled him to his feet. He whirled around, fists raised, ready to deal with yet another creature after the bounty on his head, but instead was shocked to find another human face staring at him.</p><p>The woman was at least in her mid-forties, judging by the wrinkles around her mouth. Short, curly brown hair surrounded her face. Her eyes were concealed by goggles much like his, yet he could feel her staring right at him, her unwavering attention all directed at Ford. She grinned at him, apparently unperturbed by the fact that she had just gotten shot at by one of the most notorious bounty hunters in the multiverse. If anything, she seemed to be buzzing with excitement.</p><p>“Hope I didn’t startle you too hard,” She gave him his gun. “Oh, and don’t worry, the glitter is edible. It’s just for show.”</p><p>He snatched it away before she could try and use it against him. “Who are you? What do you want?”</p><p>The stranger seemed unbothered by his harsh tone. Thin eyebrows shot up over her goggles. “It’s impolite not to introduce yourself before asking somebody’s name. <em>Especially</em> when that someone just saved your ass.”</p><p>He glared at her. Something about her attitude felt <em>very </em>familiar, and not in a way that comforted him. “I have wanted posters all over this city, I doubt you don’t already know.”</p><p>She crossed her arms over her chest. “So do I, but you don’t know my name.”</p><p>He began glancing around the alley. They were alone, for now, but he knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long. “There’s no time for this. I have to catch the next spaceship out of here…”</p><p>“…To get away from the bounty hunters Bill Cipher sent after you?”</p><p>He stiffened. In a smooth gesture, he pointed his gun at her face. “Are you with him?”</p><p>She furrowed her brows, more indignant than alarmed, mouth pressed into a tight frown. She raised her hands so that he could see her empty palms. “No, I’m trying to stop him!”</p><p>“Show me your eyes!” His grip on the gun tightened, the leather gloves creaking.</p><p>“Oh! Right, right,” she said. She began moving her scarf down along with her eyewear.</p><p>A pair of brown eyes looked at him expectantly. She had rather round cheeks and Ford wasn’t sure if it was the face, or the twinkle of mischief in her eyes, but he felt the deja-vu crash into him like a freight train. Ford had to shake his head, partially to ground himself, but also to remind himself that he had no time to be thinking about <em>him </em>and all the messy, complex emotions that came with said thoughts. They were distractions he couldn't afford to indulge in.</p><p>“Can you point your gun away now? I already proved that the two-dimensional monster isn’t with me.”</p><p>He lowered his weapon. “What do you know about Bill Cipher?”</p><p>“Way too much.” He was caught by surprise at the sudden iciness of her tone, and even more so at the way she talked about Bill. She didn’t appear to be afraid. If anything, there was a fiery determination in her gaze, one that promised a vengeance fueled by years and years of resentment that he recognized wholeheartedly. “I helped you because I heard that lady mention that triangle jerk.” She jutted her thumb at the unconscious bounty hunter, who had a large, red boot-shaped mark on her cheek. “I haven’t met anybody who’s lasted as long against Bill as I have, so I wanted to see if it was true for myself.”</p><p>“Huh,” he said. </p><p>Ever since he’d arrived in the multi-verse, even those who despised the demon were too afraid to even mention his name, let alone try and go against him. Yet this woman had just admitted, to a complete stranger, that she was working against him.</p><p>“You’re also being hunted by Bill?”</p><p>“Yup!” The cold fury melted away so quickly Ford almost thought he’d imagined it. She was back to her chipper attitude as if they weren’t currently in the middle of a dangerous situation. “I’ve been hopping the multiverse trying to find a way to stop him for years. I thought I was the only one, too…”</p><p>A large group of people were yelling a few alleys away. Cursing himself for allowing himself to be so distracted, he holstered his weapon. “We’ve been here too long.”</p><p>“Yup, and that’s ship leaving,” she said, holding up a strange, flat watch with some numbers blinking over an image of a cartoonish pink cat. “We’d better catch it!”</p><p>Ford scowled. “We? I haven’t agreed to anything—”</p><p>She rolled her eyes as if Ford was the one being difficult in this situation. “Uh, I just met somebody who can help me out, I’m not just gonna not take that kind of an opportunity.”</p><p>“I travel alone. I assure you, whatever your situation is with Bill, it will only get worse if you follow me.”</p><p>“All I’m hearing is, ‘I’m a sad, lonely grumpyass who needs a friend, I’d be happy to have somebody like you tag along, Mabel.’ That’s my name, by the way, since you didn’t ask.”</p><p>The footsteps got closer, and Ford let out an exasperated grunt. “We won’t be able to catch the ship in time. We’ll need to lay low for now and wait for the next one.” He glanced at her long skirt. “That attire is unsuited for running. I would cut the skirt in order to escape more efficiently.”</p><p>Mabel smirked as if glad he’d finally brought up her clothing preferences. “This isn’t just a fashionable skirt, silly. It’s also a special cowl I made myself. Watch and learn.”</p><p>He was about to argue that while he himself had never followed fashion trends, he doubted that was in style in any universe, but was interrupted by her untying the long cloth from her waist, revealing more exercise-appropriate long pants. With a theatrical flourish, she put the cloth over her head and vanished in thin air.</p><p>Ford gaped at the spot where she’d stood, scanning the area to see if perhaps she’d teleported around him, but there was no sign of her. Then he felt a finger bop the tip of his nose, and he jerked back, instinctively reaching for his weapon.</p><p>“Relax, jumpy, it’s still me. I’m invisible! Neat trick, Eh?”</p><p>Her voice was inches from his face. He felt her wrap an arm around his waist, and just as he was about to protest and say that he did not appreciate physical contact, especially not from a stranger, he heard her shift next to him.</p><p>“Grappling hook!” Her voice boomed with boundless enthusiasm. He wondered how someone who had just gotten into a fight and supposedly followed his enemy on foot for at least a few miles could still manage to be so energetic.</p><p>He wasn’t able to wonder for long. Ford only had time to see the string of a grappling hook connect with an aircraft overhead before he was lifted into the air with a startled yelp. Had the woman not kept a strong grip on his side, he surely would’ve fallen. As it was, he was able to peer downwards and see the search party that had came after him continue down the streets, clueless to his presence overhead.</p><p>The wind whipped at his hair and clothes, as well as his companion’s. Her hood had fallen away, revealing her grin as she kept her gaze upwards, towards the ship they were latched onto. “I’m going to pull us up, so hold on!”</p><p>They came flying towards the ship at an alarming speed. He braced himself, tensing his body. For a moment, after the hook finished retracting, he thought they would fall for sure. But just as quickly, Mabel grabbed the edge of the latch that had begun to close with the ship’s ascent.</p><p>He also held on to it for dear life. With a grunt, he pulled himself over the edge, slipping inside.</p><p>Mabel managed to get in just as the hatch closed, engulfing them in darkness.</p><p>He rummaged his pocket for the orb he was looking for, shook it, and let if hover over him, illuminating his surroundings. Ford allowed himself to catch his breath now that he was finally aboard the ship. He’d spent a good hour running, and he hadn’t been able to catch a break until this point.</p><p>Mabel sat down with a deep sigh, wiping her brow. “That was close.”</p><p>“Indeed,” he said. He cleared his throat. “It seems I owe you a thanks.”</p><p>She waved it off. “Don’t mention it. Bill’s gonna be pissed, and that’s all the thanks I need.”</p><p>“That’s an…admirable, if not foolish mindset to have, but I share the sentiment.”</p><p>She raised her eyebrows, a glint of amusement in her eyes. “But, you could tell me your name, at least. I have to call you<em> something</em>.”</p><p>I was Ford’s turn to raise his eyebrow. A part of him said that he shouldn’t risk speaking to this stranger, but something else, perhaps his instincts, told him he could trust her. At the very least, he saw the benefit of an ally that was capable of fending for themselves and one that had a common goal.</p><p>“…Stanford.” He made to extend his hand so that she could shake it, but hesitated. He hadn’t seen another, non-hostile human in years. He was aware how people felt about his six fingers, and while he still wasn’t sure how he felt about this woman, he also didn’t want to risk spooking off a potential ally, assuming she was truthful about her intentions.</p><p>Apparently, he needed have worried. She gripped his hand and gave it a firm shake of her own (the woman had quite the grip). When she did look down at his hand, she didn’t skip a beat when she said: “Whoa, a six-finger handshake? It’s a full finger friendlier than normal.”</p><p>He sat there, stunned, as she pulled away and settled against a storage bin. “So, Stanford. Wanna trade cool outlaw stories while we wait to get to the next planet?” Her tone remained as light and casual as it’d been the entire time, as if Ford was an acquaintance she was taking the time to catch up with.</p><p>He laughed, something he hadn’t done in months. Mabel didn’t care. She didn’t say anything about him being a freak, despite clearly being from some version of Earth. She held no trace of malicious intent towards him at all.</p><p>Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be a bad idea after all.</p><p>*</p><p>If you want to know about the Portal Pines AU, check it out <a href="https://introvert-no-chameleon.tumblr.com/post/626481821929160704/so-me-and-some-folks-at-the-gravity-falls-discord?is_related_post=1">here</a> and <a href="https://3hobbitsinatrenchcoat.tumblr.com/post/626488895906938880/portal-pines-au-additions">here</a>. Please feel free to make your own stories with the AU, I'd love to see them and post them on <a href="https://introvert-no-chameleon.tumblr.com/">Tumblr!</a></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The next one-shot will be Stan and Dipper. How do you think that'll be? Comment down below on what else you'd like to see in this au in the future, and maybe it'll pop up. Or write it yourself! :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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